TALKING ABOUT SCHOOL

Today, I brought Nikki to his Music and Arts class. My sister was available to babysit so I decided to leave Enzo and Ethan home with her. It was nice getting to bond with other homeschooling moms. It was a nice break, to be able to focus on Nikki and to not be distracted. But at the same time, I missed Enzo a lot. I suppose being with him all the time just made me miss his presence this afternoon.

Anyway, talking to the other moms was delightful. I'm usually quite reserved and often stay in one corner unless someone approaches me and talks to me first. But this afternoon, I mingled and chatted with moms and it was fun. I hope to be able to chat more with them without shyness in the next few weeks. Nikki has also been quite the chatterbox with his classmates and I'm glad for that, although he tends to imitate the other noisy boys during class, much to my chagrin. I'm hoping that Ethan would mature and develop more so that he could learn to socialize as well.

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I was a bit sad when Ruther thought of enrolling Nikki next school year in regular school. If we find a school that would accept him in second grade, I suppose that would allow him to learn how to mingle with regular school kids and be more independent. I guess it's worth a try. If that happens, I would be able to focus more on Ethan and Enzo. Still, I'm not so sure about this move. I know Nikki and he has yet to learn to be true to himself. He is easily influenced and can be manipulated. He's just very trusting. I don't want him to have emotional scars that could last for years. I don't think I could live with that should that happen. So, I suppose I am taking this news with a bittersweet acceptance. Hopefully, we'll be able to find a good school for him and he'll do well and be proud of himself and his endeavors. Because he doesn't have to prove anything to me. I'm already one proud mommy.

SOME MUSINGS

It's not easy being a mom to 3 boys. And it's definitely challenging parenting Nikki and Ethan who are so different from each other. I'm not complaining at their differences. I'm just saying, it's not easy.

Seeing Enzo grow day by day, I wonder how he'll be when he grows up. Will he have his own unique personality? How will he be similar or different from his brothers? Sometimes, when I look at him while he sleeps, I wonder about these things and a lot more. It's amazing how children develop into their own personalities. I just hope they don't do it with the intention of driving their parents crazy!

Anyway, with three boys now, I just know our life will be full of adventure. If it isn't already. :D

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Enzo is so cute! I really can't get enough of him. I know I'm completely biased as the mother but he's just adorable! Right now, he's getting used to being without mittens. We couldn't do that before because even if we trim his nails, they could still cause some scratches on his face. It's only lately that his nails have gotten somewhat thicker and so, are no longer sharp. He now loves touching everything, from toys to clothes. But I so love it when he touches my face. He's very inquisitive and when he just wakes up from a nap, I usually want him to see me immediately so I put my face close to him and whisper, "hello". That gets a smile out of him and it just really melts my heart. It's just amazing having to give your heart to someone so little.

He also prefers sitting up now, even if he can't fully support his upper body yet which shows how fast he's growing. He likes to see everything, talk to everyone and just be everywhere. It's as if, being born 7-8 years later than his brothers, he just wants to catch up and catch up fast. I wish he wouldn't. He's our little boy and I want him to stay little for me. :(

4 MONTHS OLD

Our little Enzo now 4 months... I love you baby!

MELON

Last night, Enzo tried melon for the first time. I gave him a small one to taste and at first he made a face but later on, he attacked the melon with gusto! He was so cute trying to drain the piece of melon of all its juice. We just had to take photos and a video of him! I hope when he's bigger he'd get to eat a variety of food. Nikki and Ethan are quite picky, Ethan most especially and it's just so difficult getting him to eat rice - of all things! Anyway, we hope that Enzo will be eating vegetables. When that happens, it'd be a dream come true. :D

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The weather has been absolutely great these past days. So cool and breezy and just relaxing. There are times when I find myself dozing off while breastfeeding, which is not too good for my widening girth. Sigh. Gotta get up, up ,up and going! Gotta lose all these extra pounds!

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I can't wait for Glee to begin airing again! I've been watching past episodes and I really wish they'd bring back the Season 1 appeal. Season 2, for me, has been all about themes (Rocky Horror, etc.) although I did enjoy the Britney episode but only because Brittany was such an amazing dancer! I just wish, for this season, they'd make the songs revolve around the story rather than the other way around, like it used to be in the first season. Anyway, I still can't wait to watch it!! :D

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Found this chocolate fondue recipe here. Decided to keep it for future use. :D

1 bag milk choco. chips

1/4 C. evaporated milk

2 T. butter

3 cups mini marshmallows

Put all ingredients in a bowl and microwave in one minute intervals.

STAYED HOME

This weekend, Ruther and I decided to simply stay home. We'll have a weekend free of expenses for a change. After having the car repaired a few weeks back and paying of the bills, I guess our wallets needed the break. :D

Anyway, Ruther and I spent yesterday and today watching Buzzer Beat, a Japanese drama (jdorama) about a professional basketball player in Japan who meets this aspiring violinist.
The story revolves around their relationship. It was a nice story and watching it made me miss Japan a lot. There are so many things about that country that I wish I could see and experience all over again.

Sigh. If it were only possible...

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Enzo is so inquisitive! He just wants to see everything, be everywhere and hates to be bored. Which is making his mommy (ME!) exhausted at the end of the day. I don't mind, though. At least the effort of minding him and giving him attention pays off when he giggles and smiles at me. Truly, Enzo has just brought even more sunshine to my family. I just love him to bits!

He loves the outdoors. He enjoys the breeze and loves looking at the swaying mango leaves just beyond our balcony. I think it soothes him. He also loves riding in the car. No surprise there because Nikki and Ethan were the same too. He loves to sit up and funnily, he drools which grosses out his brothers. But he's just growing by leaps and bounds and it scares me so much because in a few more months, he'll no longer be a baby.

Sigh. Wish my baby would stay a baby for a lot longer...

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Ruther and I watched Social Network a few nights ago and I must say, Mark Zuckerberg is amazing!! I mean, for him to be able to conceptualize and create Facebook is simply genius! I wouldn't help but feel a deep sense of awe at this person who created something that would connect people from all sorts of lifestyle and ages and make everyone get together in one place. It's just mind-boggling for someone like me who could barely grasp the inner workings of the amazing thing called the internet. Really, I applaud the man. I have to read more on this movie, and maybe read his biography as well, but so far, one amazing human being.

NIKKI

Doesn't he look cute? I love his tie. He's doing a Chuck right now. Ruther and I are such fans. Anyway, it was a good thing that almost all the boys were in casual shoes or Nikki would have stuck out like a sore thumb.

The pictorial was chaotic but fun. I could hardly hear myself above the chatter of the moms, the shrieks of the younger kids and the talk of the older kids. Ethan was just reveling in the energy and was running around with the other kids. Anyway the pictorial lasted from 330 til 500pm. By then I was so hungry and so we had dinner at RACKS, which I loved because it was another dinner out with the family and my sis.

It was such a great day. :D

EXHAUSTING BUT FUN DAY

Nikki had his pictorial today. The homeschool group decided to have a sort of yearbook for the kids and I loved the idea! The kids would have a formal look and another in clothes/costumes that would show what they wanted to be when they were older. Nikki is supposedly a video game designer so we didn't have to do or prepare much. The kids had a lot of fun and I can't wait to see the photos! :D

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All the artwork Nikki did in class makes me want to do some artwork as well. I used to do artwork with my sis when we were younger because my mom enrolled us in art class one summer. It was a lot of fun. I could tell that Nikki is learning a lot from his class. Hopefully, he will continue to do more artwork in the future.

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Have you ever won in a national raffle? I wish we would. Would be so interesting. And fun.

ENZO IS 4 MONTHS

Our baby is now 4 months!! Can't believe how fast he's growing. I wish he could be a little longer...

Anyway, he's such an active little boy. He prefers to sit down now, even if he still can't support his body. We would hold him up and he would sit and be so pleased. He enjoys looking around and loves it when people talk to him. He's so sociable. He doesn't like it when I'm too far away from him. He cries but once I go to him and talk to him, he always smiles. He's here right now on my lap, enjoying the movement of my hands and fingers and the tap-tap of the keys. He's just so cute.

He also likes being on his tummy. He could support his upper body quite well now and would try to move his body forward as though trying to crawl. He's such a joy, even when he's cranky because he's sleepy or because he wants some milk. I just love him to bits!

Happy 4th month my little chipmunk! I love you!

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My allergy is acting up again. For the past weeks, I've been having these rashes for no reason! It's so irritating especially when I'm about to sleep and I feel these bumps all over my body! And because of these rashes, I'm now covered in little black spots! Argh! Now I have to bring my allergy medicine with me all the time and also have a stash here at home just to be sure I don't run out.

Sigh.

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Looks like it's going to be a wet summer for us this year. That's according to the recent news. Well, I for one, am glad for that. Hopefully the prediction won't be a false one and make our weather bureau even more embarrassing.

So, am looking forward to a great summer!

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I haven't finished reading the Seven Dials Mystery yet. Not that it's dull, but it's just so different from the Percy Jackson books that I couldn't help but compare the two. Anyway, I'm more than halfway done so I hope to finish it this weekend and then read a more exciting book next.

HOPE TO HEAR FROM YOU AGAIN

I will miss a treasured friend who is ending her blog... Take care of yourself and I hope to hear from you again...

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The weather is cold these days. And I LOVE it! I just hope that this doesn't mean we'll have an even more sweltering summer then before!

In the evenings, even Ruther gets to wear a blanket now. That's how cold it's been getting. And it's just absolutely great. I just make it a point to keep an eye out for colds and sniffles. So far, everything's okay.

Hope it stays that way.

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And here's my techie baby, learning about trucks on his Dad's iPad:

MY IPHONE

I have inherited Ruther's iPhone 3G. We got him an iPhone4 a few weeks ago and he was very happy about that. Since my cellphone was too primitive for his taste, he simply gave me his old one. And so, I gave Nikki my old cellphone.

After using the iPod Touch for a few months, I guess I've gotten used to manipulating similar Apple devices such as the iPod and iPad. So with the iPhone, it was not a difficult transition for me. It still would take some getting used to, but it won't be as hard to figure out. And I'm quite glad for that.

Nikki got my old cellphone and we bought him a new SIM card. We practiced texting this morning and it took him some time to type because 1. he's not used to texting yet and 2. I won't allow him to write in SMS form (like l8r for later, or 2moro for tomorrow, etc.). I don't want him to get used to text lingo and then suffer later on in spelling certain - or easy - words. My mom already texted him after we sent her Nikki's cellphone number. I'm sure she's excited to be communicating with him through text. Nikki's not the most careful kid so I'm hoping he won't lose his phone when we're out of the house.

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Ruther and I are addicted to the Smurfs game in the iPod/iPhone/iPad. It's just a delightful game to play. You get to build your village for the smurfs and then earn experience points and coins and make your village bigger and more beautiful. I like it because I get to design the village. And it's cool.

We also discovered Cut the Rope and it's sooo cute! I of course, can't play it as well as Ruther and Nikki, but still it's just so cute.

Now, I'm looking for a nice ringtone for my phone because the ringtones that I have just aren't loud enough when I'm in public. Hopefully, I'll find a good one soon.

HOME BUT STILL SICK

My father-in-law is home from the hospital. He was discharged last Friday. He's home, not because he's recovered or is well. I think my MIL got too worried about the hospital bills and didn't want to spend another day there lest they end up penniless. So, my FIL will continue his treatment through meds and a lot of it last time I saw the list. Gave me the heebie jeebies.

After browsing through the test results and papers, it was discovered that my FIL had a lot going on inside his body. His lungs are of course, affected because of long-term smoking. His heart, pancreas and liver are enlarged. He has moderate intraperitoneal fluids which is why his stomach is so big. He's dizzy because he's anemic. There's something wrong with his prostate too. And I forgot the other problems. His kidneys are normal though.

Now, my MIL has to monitor his medicine-intake because my FIL can be so stubborn. He doesn't watch his diet, he doesn't exercise and he smokes and drinks. Sigh.

Here's hoping he'll listen this time.

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We went to the mall today for some family time. While there, I decided to have our picture taken in one of the photo studios. We got the one with 2 poses and it turned out nice. I was so glad because we've only had a few family photos with Enzo. This one will be another addition.

Happy about that.

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Ruther and I were discussing the other day about the possibility of putting up a small business instead of me working. I liked the idea because the thought of not being with the boys worries me more than finding a career. I would also like to continue to breastfeed Enzo and if I were to do that, it would be hard if I were working. We already have an idea on what business to put up. I suppose we'll need to talk to some people about helping us with the business then hopefully, we could make this happen. Should it happen, I think this will be one exciting adventure for us.

Wish us luck!

STILL NOT OKAY

So, we went to the hospital today to visit my father-in-law who was admitted last Monday due to dizziness and edema of the feet and abdomen. It's not looking too good right now because according to my mother-in-law, he will need a few more tests and another blood chemistry because they just recently transfused him due to an extremely low hemoglobin count. I asked what the initial diagnosis was and she didn't know. After 4 days at the hospital, the doctors can't even give an initial diagnosis?! If I were in their shoes, I would be texting them non-stop. I mean, hospital fees don't come cheap! And our national healthcare system is not so good.

We still have no idea when they will be coming home but all things considered, I think it's best for them to stay at the hospital for now.

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Tita Nicki's friend Ursula arrived the other day from Australia and it was so great meeting her. In case you didn't know, Tita Nicki is Ruther's Australian aunt. She's married to Tito Leo, who is my mother-in-law's brother.

Anyway, it was nice meeting her because I've so wanted to talk to her about teaching in Japan. She worked there as an English teacher for 4 years she said and I would like to know how the experience was, what advice she could give me, how I could apply, and all that. We haven't had a chance to really chat because she's been catching up with Tita Nicki so I suppose we would have to do that when she gets back from Boracay.

Can't wait.

TO BE HEALTHY

The results are in. Of our physical exam, that is. And it's not all good. Apparently, I have UTI and so does Nikki. Fortunately, it's just a mild infection and I will need to take antibiotics for it. Nikki will just have to take lots of water to counter it. Ethan has hematuria (blood in the urine) but according to my sister (who checked the lab results) it's just a few red blood cells and usually, hematuria in kids are self-limiting. He'll need to take lots of water too and then after a week, we'll have another urinalysis done. Also, Ethan has impacted cerumen. That means, he has a huge earwax that's blocking his ear canal! Ewww!! Gotta take care of that.

We would also have to go to the ophthalmologist for my eye exam and Nikki's too. We might have that next month because this month is just too hectic.

My Pap smear was all right, thank goodness. As recommendation, it was suggested that I "adapt a healthy lifestyle and exercise". Ah, tell me something I don't know?

Anyway, just glad that there was nothing serious. Although I really really think I should stop with the sweets already. Diabetes scares the -bleep!- outta me.

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I have started reading Agatha Christie's Seven Dials Mystery and it's a bit boring. I so enjoyed the Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot series and I think I'll stick to those after I'm done with this one. I just hate being so disappointed when I read. I always want to be excited with the story, to be on my toes, expectant and raring to know what's going to happen next. Un-putdownable books. Those are for me.

SICKNESS IN THE FAMILY

Has it only been two days since my last blog?

Anyway, it's been really tense around here. My MIL brought my FIL to the hospital last Monday because he was feeling dizzy last week. Aside from dizziness, he also said he has a hard time breathing and by Friday, he could barely walk. So, despite his protests, my MIL brought him to the hospital and we found out that he would need to stay for a few days for tests because apparently, he's jaundiced and his abdominal area seemed bloated. They are suspecting his liver is out of whack.

My FIL is a smoker and a drinker. Has been ever since I met him. So I suppose all those toxins are now weakening his body. I asked my MIL how he was doing today and she said he needed a transfusion. Apparently a lot of it because when I asked her how much blood was needed, she told me that we would need around 8 blood donors to replace the blood used in the hospital.

We haven't visited my FIL at the hospital yet. Ruther is hesitant about us because he doesn't want the boys catching any illness while there. Also, we have no way of getting there because Ruther uses the car to go to work, so I would rather stay here and watch my boys for the meantime and then we'd go visit when my sister could babysit.

Hopefully, things will be less tense around here, but knowing how stubborn my FIL could be, I doubt that he'll be recovering very soon.

Sigh.

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Don't you ever get those days when you feel so overwhelmed, have a ton of work to do, don't know how to begin and then end up just staring into space? Well, I feel like that's been happening a lot to me lately. With the homeschooling, and the breastfeeding, and the chores, and everything else in between, I sometimes feel I need to grow a new pair of arms and a fresh brain. It gets quite hectic that sometimes, I eat lunch at 2pm, or I have 6-minute baths!! Yeeesh!!

I hope this doesn't become a permanent thing. Especially with my sis leaving for Canada by next month. She's the only one I could trust to babysit the boys because no one else could handle them and watch over them without me worrying about their welfare when I'm out of the house.

In another note, I would love to continue breastfeeding Enzo, but at the same time, I want to work already!! And it's taking me forever to look for a decent job with my lack of experience (from being a SAHM for some years now). Sigh. I feel so conflicted. I wish there was something I could do, something that would make sense in this crazy world.

And I wish someone (be it human or spirit) could help me already! C'mon Universe! I'm rarin' to go!

BOOKS 2,3,4 and 5

I've finished reading books 2, 3, 4 and almost completed book 5 of the Percy Jackson series. It's pretty neat. Well, I found that all fantasy/alternate universe stories intrigue me. Think Star Wars, Harry Potter, etc. I just think that their stories are amazing. The authors' creative minds just blow me away.

Anyway, I'm now in the final chapter of the last book and I'm quite happy with the way the whole series turned out. It was very entertaining and engaging. I hope my boys get to read these books when they are older, maybe after they've studied Mythology.

Since I breezed through the whole set of books in just a few short days, I'm sure I'll be reading them again the future. I do that. I read all the Harry Potter books like 5 times, the Phillip Pullman books (Golden Compass) like 3 times, Twilight series 4 times and other series books more than once I'm sure. So I just know I'll be doing the same with the Percy Jackson books. :D

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It's so hard to lose weight. It just seems as though I'm fighting a losing battle. And it sucks.

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I gave Ruther a haircut today. It's actually nice, even if I have to say so myself. He was complaining that his hair was unkempt and hard to fix in the mornings and some of his office pals mentioned that it was getting ugly. Since we were both too lazy to leave the house, we decided that I should simply give him a trim. And it turned out okay, thank goodness. If he's getting compliments tomorrow, I'm getting the credit. :D

LIPS

Just goofing around... :D

GOTTA PUT ON A BRAVE FACE

It was such a looooong day yesterday.

We had to wake up early in the morning for our Annual Physical Examination and I already felt out of sorts because I slept late the night before. Ethan was so hyper and was mumbling loudly that I would wake up, tell/ask him to sleep then doze off, then just when I'm about to go to deeper sleep,wake up again from one of his monologues.

My sis came over at 620am and was surprised to find Nikki asleep. When I got up at 640, we had to rush rush rush. We finally left the house around 730am. Sigh.

When we got to the clinic, it was fine because there were only a few people around. There were only 2 people there. Our numbers were 4,5,6. Pretty soon, a woman called, "Number Three!" No one acknowledged her. Then, "Number 4!" Sweet. It was our turn. We started off with the vitals: pulse rate, blood pressure (Nikki said: "Hey! Why didn't she take my blood pressure?"), height and weight (cringe), then eye exam which nobody passed because the three of us are near-sighted. After that, it was off to the Pediatrician while my sis minded Enzo. We did the usual medical history and checking of vaccinations. The boys are updated except for the flu vaccine. Enzo has yet to receive his DPT and polio. But my sis will do that tomorrow. When the doctor asked if Ethan, (who was hyper beyond imagination) was going to school, I started with, "Well, we're homeschooling, actually..." and that got a "REALLY?!?! We are too!!" out of her. After that, we talked about homeschooling, etc which bored Nikki and made Ethan more hyper. After a few minutes of chatting, she checked the boys out (ear exam, chest, etc.) then we were off for chest x-rays, and laboratory exams. I was so glad that Ethan did not freakout like last time when they had to take some blood. He was scared, but he didn't run around and scream too much. After they pricked him, he watched the woman collect his blood in a tiny tube and he said,"I like that!" Weird.

Anyway, I got an ECG test, and a Pap smear. It was my first time to get a pap smear and good thing nothing traumatizing happened so I suppose this is going to be a yearly thing for me now.

We finished up around 1130 which is perfect for lunch. We ate at Kenny's. Yum! Then we spent the rest of the afternoon playing (we stayed at a play place so I could breastfeed Enzo, which I did) and going around the mall until it was time for us to meet up with Ruther. Unfortunately, the car was acting up again and so we had to take a taxi from Festival Mall to Ruther's office which was not too far. It would have been okay if the driver didn't ask for P120!! The fare could have only cost P70 but the jerk didn't have his meter on. If I wasn't so concerned about the boys and our situation, I would have quarreled him and given him hell. But I just wanted to get home as soon as we could.

We left the office and tried to get home slowly but surely but halfway there, the car just suddenly slowed down then stopped. No matter how hard Ruther pressed on the accelerator, the car remained still. So, Ruther had to call the mechanics and fortunately, they agreed to look at the car. Fifteen minutes later they arrived and then after a quick look, decided they could not remedy the problem that night. They had to leave to get another vehicle so they could tow the car. We had to wait again and 30 minutes later, we were on our way. They were kind enough to bring us home first before towing the car to their place. We got home at around 9pm and I was so tired. But I didn't mind. I told Ruther, just as long as we were home safe and sound, it was okay with me.

So it was a long day. Hopefully the car would be fixed soon. Ruther already spent like P20,000 on repairs and it's not doing good for our budget. Already, funds are low with a recent cellphone purchase and paying of the credit card. Sigh.

Hopefully, everything will still be okay...

PERCY JACKSON AND THE LIGHTNING THIEF

I just finished reading Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief and I must say, I was really disappointed that the story was so different from the movie. I mean, sure, the characters were there: Percy, his mom, the centaur, the satyr, Annabeth, Poseidon, Zeus and Hades but other than that, the movie seemed like it was inspired from the book rather than based from it, if you know what I mean.

For instance, in the book, Percy never developed his powers until he was in Camp Half-Blood. In the movie, he was underwater holding his breath in the first few minutes of the flick. In the book, Annabeth and Percy did not have an attraction towards each other. She was more interested in Luke (son of Hermes). Also, the god of war, Ares was never ever mentioned in the movie but in the book, he was the one of the gods who conspired against Zeus, Poseidon and Hades. Ares gave Percy a magical backpack that had the lightning bolt while in the movie, the bolt was hidden in the shield Luke gave him before leaving camp. Also, Luke was the one who stole the lightning bolt PLUS the Hades helm of darkness when some demi-gods went on a visit to Olympus. Are you confused yet?

It's just so disappointing for me when movie versions stray away too far from the books. I would have thought it to be more of like Harry Potter or The Golden Compass where there were some extra scenes but still stayed true to the story. Oh and that scene with the Hydra, getting of the pearls, Persephone in the Underworld, and Hades visiting the camp? Those were never in the book.

I just didn't like it. I mean, I enjoyed the movie (watched it weeks ago). I thought it was nice. Then, reading the book chanted a whole lot of things for me. Now I wonder, "Do I like the movie version more? OR the book?" And I can't say because they are both SO different! Oh and guess what? In the book, Percy never got to save his mom! Wrap your head around that! And in the movie, that was all he was thinking of, right?

Sigh. Anyway, I'm now on the second book The Sea of Monsters. I just hope that if they do a movie version of this, they would stick to the story.

2011 BEGINS...

Now that the holidays have passed, it looks like we're settling into our usual routine. Not that our routine is routine, if you know what I mean. It just means that it's less chaotic now.

I'm trying to tidy up the rooms. I can't believe how much junk, I mean, stuff has accumulated in the past 4 weeks!!! From toys to clothes to food, to books... It's just a perennial problem where to put stuff sometimes. Sigh. It's times like these that I wish we had a house of our own, ya know...

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I can't believe how big my little chipmunk is getting!! I sometimes look at him and say, "please, please don't grow so fast", which is then rewarded with giggles and shrieks. Don't you wish babies could stay babies forever?

Sigh.

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It has been wonderfully cool these past weeks. The days have been breezy and the nights have been somewhat chilly. All of us use blankets now, just to ward off the cool night air. No use getting the cold or sniffles again. I don't want any more sick kids, thank you very much. Anyway, I hope this will last til February because I sure am dreading summer. Can't forget the sweltering heat last year! Yikes!

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I really really hope 2011 will be good to me. 2009 was the worst year of my life. 2010 would have been blah if not for Enzo (my sweetie baby) so I really really hope 2011 will be a whole lot better. I'm not asking for much, just that my family be happy and well and that my boys not have a major illness or anything like that. It would also be nice to have more family bondings. Perhaps new experiences too. And maybe lose a bit of weight. :D

HAPPY 2011!!

Well, it's another new year folks! Still doing your resolutions? I think I've pretty much given up on making my resolutions. It's just very disappointing when I realize at the end of the year that I haven't accomplished anything at all. I think it would be a lot better to do a monthly "things to do/accomplish" goal/s. More realistic ya know. Anyway, that doesn't mean I'm giving up on resolutions. I just won't do it the yearly way...

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We took a lot of photos last night for our new year tradition. It was actually fun because it was Enzo's first new year. Here's our family photo:


I don't know exactly when we started this tradition but it's now stuck. And even if we're now 5, we'll still continue doing this in years to come. And why not? It's such a fun thing to do! :D

Here's Enzo's photo:

Isn't he cute? Unlike in other countries, lighting of fire crackers and sparklers and fireworks is legal here. So expect to get a lot of noise and smoke pollution when New Year comes along. Part of my concern was Enzo getting startled at the booms and crackle of the fire crackers and rockets. We did close all windows and doors in our room and that muffled the sounds/noise a bit but when we had our family photo, that was taken in the family room and even if we started at around 1030, a lot of neighbors were starting to light their stash of firecrackers already. So, we had to rush with the photos and then covered Enzo's ears with Miffy earmuffs. He was just so cute! Anyway, after taking photos, we just lit a lot of sparkers and some fountains, Skyped with my mom, dad and brother, ate some spaghetti, and then went to bed.

This afternoon, we went to SM Convention Center to watch The Great American Circus. It was a LOT of fun! The boys enjoyed it but I think my sis and I enjoyed it more because we were hooting and cheering and yelling like there was no tomorrow. Well, we do know how to appreciate a good show. There were acrobats, clowns, a fire eater, balancing tricks, a tribute to Michael Jackson (song and dance number), a crossbow act (I was a bit nervous here), and a whole lot more. The whole show was around 2 hours long with a 30 minute intermission. After the show, we took photos with some of the performers and got a souvenir photo. It was great!! What a wonderful way to start the New Year! I hope that we will have more of these family moments in the months to come. :D